In the field of ink ribbons for printers, a ribbon supply spool and a ribbon take-up spool generally have been provided on opposite sides of a typing or printing station, together with means for reversing the direction of travel of the ribbon for repeated use thereof in an arrangement for the purpose of obtaining longer ribbon life. Also, the ink ribbon has been made to travel along a line of printing wherein the spools are positioned beyond the ends of the printing line and the ribbon is caused to travel at an angle relative to the print line to utilize a greater portion of the ribbon width. However, in the case of certain high-speed printers, a ribbon substantially as wide as the line of printing may be used and caused to travel in a direction normal to the print line and along with the record media. Additionally, it has been common to provide ink carrying or containing means operably associated with the ribbon for maintaining or replenishing a supply of ink therein for proper and extended-life printing operation.
In present-day printers, it is also common practice to provide and use a ribbon cassette carrying an endless ribbon which is caused to be driven past the printing station, and wherein the printing ribbon is either a pre-inked and disposable ribbon or a ribbon which is to be continuously or frequently reinked during the printing operation. The ribbon cassette itself may be of the stuffing-box type wherein the ribbon is contained within the cassette in random manner and such ribbon is unfolded at the cassette exit and caused to be driven past the printing station and then guided back into the cassette to be folded again in random manner therein.
Additionally, a ribbon may be utilized in a mobius loop configuration within the cassette, may be in substantially continuous contact with an inking core or like member, or the ribbon may have a plurality of coils thereof around a central core for controlled inking or re-inking of the ribbon.
Representative documentation relating to ribbon cassettes or cartridges and to inking or re-inking the ribbon therein includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,005,503, issued to G. E. Pelton on June 18, 1935, which discloses means for supplying ink to ink transfer members by means of a tubular wick extending from a reservoir and engaged with an ink-transfer disk coaxial with a ribbon-contacting roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,104,396, issued to D. Hoppenstand on Jan. 4, 1938, discloses an inking device having a cylinder of ink with a sleeve and a felt strip between the sleeve and the cylinder and engageable with an adjacent roller through an opening in the wall of the cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,801, issued to O. W. Swenson on Sept. 10, 1968, discloses a reusable inking cartridge having a wick reservoir with an opening for a flat wick, and a second or transfer wick on the cover of the reservoir and in contact with the flat wick and with the ribbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,390, issued to A. A. Marozzi et al. on Mar. 19, 1974, discloses an ink cartridge with sealing means wherein an ink container has a foam filler, exposed to a marking device at an open end of the cartridge through a porous pad, and a restricted opening in a porous closure disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,016, issued to A. A. Marozzi et al. on Apr. 16, 1974, discloses a yieldably mounted, sealable ink cartridge having an ink container with an ink pad exposed to a marking device through a restricted opening in a closure element, and pumping action adjusts pressure thereon to maintain ink pad saturation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,137, issued to E. W. Neumann et al. on Oct. 19, 1976, discloses a method of making a direct inking platen including a container having a fiber-filled ink medium and a microporous interior enclosure between the ink medium and the ribbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,133, issued to H. Scherrer et al. on Jan. 31, 1978, discloses a ribbon cassette for dye-impregnated ribbon and containing an ink cylinder or canister therein having a wick disposed in contact with a transfer roller for re-inking the ribbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,378, issued to H. Scherrer et al. on May 8, 1979, discloses a housing having a chamber with an ink-impregnating wick in the chamber along with locking means for moving the wick into contact with an inking roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,313, issued to J. W. H. Bishop on July 20, 1982, discloses printing ribbon spool apparatus and method of inking the type slug impact portion of ribbons and having a pad of cellular or fibrous material which carries ink from a reservoir to the ribbon through an exposed area of the pad.
And, U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,536, issued to M. Muller et al. on July 5, 1983, discloses a print wheel assembly which has a pigment carrier of capillary-fabric material which draws ink from a reservoir to supply sufficient ink to feed the transfer layer for the useful life of the wheel.